UFC News: CM Punk Debuting Soon? — New Video Of Punk Training Surfaces
We’re nearly year removed from the UFC signing former WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, and, at the time of this writing, the UFC hasn’t announced any opponent for Punk, or the date that the former WWE wrestler’s debut will take place.
All we know is that CM Punk’s first fight in the UFC will take place on pay-per-view, it won’t be the main-event, and it’ll be in either December or January. However, if Punk needs more time to prepare for his debut, UFC president Dana White has said that he can take as much time as he needs to get ready for his debut.
Several weeks ago, a new video of CM Punk preparing for his octagon debut surfaced on Instagram, but it didn’t include any hard sparring, as it just showed Punk walking through some ground work with one of his coaches.
https://instagram.com/p/6xOl7zDgM8/
In an interview with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, Punk was asked about debuting in December, specifically on December 12, which would be nearly a year to the day that he signed with the UFC. Punk was open to it, but, he did say that he is leaving the decision up to his coaches, who he says will decide when he’s ready to step inside the UFC’s octagon.
It doesn’t seem likely that CM Punk will debut on December 12, which is the day of UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor, because the card for that event is already full, and it’s stacked with some pretty big fights, including a UFC middleweight title fight and a middleweight number one contender’s fight.
Having CM Punk on the December 12 card with two title fights would probably increase the number of pay-per-view buys significantly, as Punk would be bringing in a lot of pro wrestling fans. However, the UFC probably feels like that show doesn’t need Punk on it because Conor McGregor will already draw a massive audience on his own. So, they’ll probably end up saving Punk’s debut for a show that is lacking star power.
As for who CM Punk’s debut opponent will be, well, it does seem like he’s on a collision course with Cathal Pendred, who has been trash-talking Punk for several months now.
Pendred, 28, has a professional record of 17-3, and he fights at welterweight (170 pounds), which is the weight that CM Punk expects to fight at. So, unless the UFC decides to add that fight to the already stacked UFC 194 card, expect it to happen in January.
[Image via Today’s TMJ4]
